In a world where dragons have faded into myth, the dreadful creature of Hay Hill awakens, and a primitive community must confront what it has long believed extinct. When young Thia spots smoke rising from a cave and discovers the dragon's return, fear ripples through the settlement. Into this crisis steps Thol, a timid boy desperate to prove he is not a coward, despite every instinct urging him to flee. Sir Max Beerbohm, the legendary caricaturist and essayist, brings his trademark wit and civilised irony to this slight but charming tale of prehistoric adventure. The result is a curiously gentle story about courage and fear, told with the detached amusement of a man who finds both heroism and terror slightly absurd. The book endures not for its plot but for its tone: a knowing, affectionate look at bravery and the lengths we go to prove it to ourselves and others.
